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Drama production in Australia hit a record $2.7 billion in FY25 thanks to a surge in activity for international high-budget features and projects from subscription streaming service providers, according to the latest report from Screen Australia.
The expenditure increase of $678 million represents growth of 43 per cent for the industry, with 71 Australian titles entering production out of a total of 174.
"This strong result is a testament to the hard work and creativity of our screen practitioners, who are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape," says Screen Australia CEO Deirdre Brennan.
"The numbers reflect a complex story of production value and content volume. While there is moderate growth in local drama expenditure, fewer TV titles entered production across free-to-air, subscription-video-on-demand and children’s content, showing ongoing shifts in commissioning behaviour.
"This presents an industry challenge, but also an opportunity to seek out new areas of collaboration and innovative production to ensure we continue to elevate Australian storytelling."
While the $1.1 billion spent on local stories signifies a 14 per cent increase year-on-year, Screen Producers Australia emphasises that the headline figures mask a 20 per cent decline in the number of local titles from 89 the previous year.
Local productions accounted for 40 per cent of total expenditure, compared to 50 per cent the previous year. The latest statistics follow the passing of recent legislation that will require minimum expenditure on local stories from large streaming services, and the release of the latest annual subscription video on demand (SVOD) investment report.
"These figures can give a headline appearance of strength, but they mask a more fragile reality for Australian storytelling. In 2024-25 we produced fewer Australian titles, across fewer hours removing many of the opportunities for work in our industry," says SPA CEO Matthew Deaner.
"In the projects that have been brought to the screen, there has been a continuing pattern of producers' intellectual property rights being removed or devalued in commissioning deals – something which isn’t captured in this report costs.
"All of this points to structural challenges for our sector and an absence of strong foundations to build opportunities in the future."
The SPA also points out that the $654 million spent on the 32 Australian general TV and video on demand (VOD) drama titles was down 1 per cent, while the free-to-air TV category experienced a 14 per cent decline in expenditure, with titles dropping from 16 to 14 and total hours falling from 276 to 191.
Australian children’s television and VOD suffered a 41 per cent drop in expenditure to $34 million, with titles reducing from 7 to 5 and total hours falling 38 per cent to just 21 hours.
Australian theatrical feature film expenditure increased 76 per cent, yet the number of titles still fell from 38 to 34.
"While it is challenging to always get a clear handle on patterns given the lumpy nature of our industry’s project work, what this does show is that there are fewer opportunities for different parts of our industry to helm different projects or episodes and as a consequence, fewer pathways for emerging creatives, and fewer distinct Australian voices on screen," adds Deaner.
Kate Marks, CEO of Ausfilm, a government and industry partnership that promotes Australia as a leading film and television production destination, celebrates the record level of international production activity, driven by the reformed Location Offset.
"This activity helps sustain the ecosystem that supports Australian stories by keeping our crews working, funding training, enabling investments into screen businesses and building capabilities," Marks explains.
"At a time of global industry disruption, the ongoing mix of local and international work makes our screen industry resilient, sustainable and globally competitive."
Brennan of Screen Australia adds that in the current market, research and insights are vital for screen creatives and businesses looking to make future-focused decisions.
"The Drama Report is an indicator of narrative trends," she says. "When assessing the state of the industry, we consider this report alongside the pipeline of projects seeking development and production funding, feedback from global markets and data tracking across all genres including documentary."
Screen Queensland highlights the fact the Sunshine State came in at number one for screen production expenditure nationally at $925 million - up from the previous record of $700 million set in FY23.
Such growth was enabled through steady pipeline of high-budget productions including Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, Voltron and season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Minister for the Arts John Paul-Langbroek says Queensland’s screen production boom provided employment for more than 5,000 local cast, crew and creatives every year and supported small businesses across a range of industries.
"The Crisafulli Government is proud to back our screen industry through the work of Screen Queensland and today’s figures show our competitive incentives are delivering for the state," he says.
“As well as the many jobs on set, screen production expenditure flows into our communities. From catering to construction, accommodation to accounting, landscaping, transport and more, when cameras are rolling in Queensland, we all benefit.
"Through the Queensland’s Time to Shine strategy, our government is also committed to building the next generation of screen practitioners across production, post-production and digital games by opening up career pathways across the industry."
Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney says the state has a stellar reputation or screen production both locally and internationally, with certainty around the state government’s screen incentives and the federal Location Offset ensuring a steady stream of projects.
"Some of the world’s leading producers say it’s our winning combination of renowned crews, versatile locations, first-class studios and unbeatable lifestyle that makes them want to come to Queensland, and their experience here is what keeps them coming back," Feeney says.
"Today’s Drama Report results are testament to the strength of our screen production sector and demonstrate that when our industry is supported by all levels of government, the global sector recognises that Queensland is open for business.
"As well as regular repeat work from the likes of Amazon MGM Studios and Legendary Pictures, Screen Queensland has been supporting a strong slate of local projects and international co-productions with global appeal, such as Allen, Black Snow, Dangerous Animals, FING!, Muster Dogs, Spit, The Pout-Pout Fish, Two Years Later and of course, it doesn’t get bigger than Bluey."
Upcoming productions made in Queensland and coming soon to cinemas include Boxing Day comedy Anaconda, starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, as well as New Year’s Day animated family film The Pout-Pout Fish from Brisbane’s award-winning Like A Photon Creative.
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